The long-run effect of COVID-19 on hospital emergency department attendances:evidence from statistical analysis of hospital data from England.

Autor: Jacob N; Centre for Health Economics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom., Santos R; Centre for Health Economics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom., Sivey P; Centre for Health Economics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom. Electronic address: peter.sivey@york.ac.uk.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Health policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands) [Health Policy] 2024 Dec; Vol. 150, pp. 105168. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Sep 30.
DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2024.105168
Abstrakt: During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital emergency departments worldwide experienced a pronounced fall in utilisation of emergency care, with a decrease of up to 40% in many countries. Evidence suggests the cause of these changes include both population fear of COVID-19 and the effects of lockdowns and the interaction of these two effects. We analyse a sub-sample of national data on Accident and Emergency (A&E) attendances in England over an extended period from April 2019 to March 2022 for different patient groups, including by age, mental/physical health status, acuity, and common clinical groupings. Our results showed that all patient groups experienced substantial declines in attendances during the first two waves of the pandemic, including high acuity and cardiovascular patients. Mental health patients were the only exception, with a smaller decline in attendances. Our findings suggest that policymakers should recognise the potential harmful effects of lockdowns, public messaging, and changes in health care provision on all patients during health emergencies.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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